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Intersil's PRISM 3 Chip Set Enables Wireless Connectivity for the New BroMax FreePort WLAN PC Card

-- Intersil’s PRISM 3 WLAN solution uses Zero-IF architecture~-- FreePort™ ensures greater security by providing 120-bit Wired Equivalent Privacy security

IRVINE, CA, March 20, 2002 – Intersil Corporation (NASDAQ: ISIL), the world’s leading developer of silicon technology for Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), announced today that BroMax Communications is using Intersil’s PRISM® 3 chip set in their new FreePort wireless PC card.

The BroMax FreePort PC WLAN Card is a high-speed wireless network card that plugs into a notebook PC. It complies with the Wi-Fi (IEEE802.11b) standard for wireless data transmission and can easily send and receive data at speeds up to 11 megabits per second (Mbps). The FreePort Card allows continuous connectivity to a Local Area Network without any wires. Once connected with other networked PC, it allows users to share hard disk drives, DVD drives, CD drives, printers and other network resources. FreePort supports most popular operating systems: Windows 95/98/2000/NT 4.0/ME and Linux.

“The new FreePort PC Card incorporates Intersil’s PRISM 3 Zero-IF (ZIF) architecture that allows for direct down conversion of radio frequency signals,” said Larry Ciaccia, vice president and general manager for Intersil’s Wireless Networking Business. “Eliminating the intermediate frequency (IF) stage enables low-cost, high performance wireless networking solutions and the FreePort PC Card provides an affordable IEEE 802.11b-compliant, 11 Mbps wireless networking solution for the home and business.”

“BroMax did an extensive review and determined that Intersil’s PRISM 3 chip set provides the most powerful wireless networking solution available on the market today,” said Mark Yuan, president of BroMax. “Intersil’s PRISM 3 delivers the affordability, performance, quality and ability to meet the explosive growth of the wireless market. That makes Intersil the best choice to meet the demands of BroMax and our extensive base of customers.”

About the PRISM 3 Chip Set
The PRISM 3’s revolutionary design consists of only two WLAN integrated circuits, the ISL3684 Direct Down Conversion (DDC) Transceiver and the integrated Baseband Processor/Medium Access Controller (BBP/MAC), the ISL3871. The PRISM 3 Developer’s Kit also features an optional power amplifier detector, the ISL3984, and a 5 GHz VCO, the ISL3084, making a complete low cost solution.

The highly integrated DDC device receives high frequency radio waves and directly converts them to the baseband signal during reception, or directly up-converts them from the low level baseband signal to radio frequency for transmission. This new architecture completely eliminates the need for the intermediate frequency (IF) stage found in most radios, reducing manufacturing complexity, bill-of-materials cost and overall cost. The DDC Transceiver couples to the second IC in the chip set, a BBP/MAC. The tight coupling of the radio front-end and this advanced processor helps overcome DC offset problems normally associated with Zero-IF radios. This new technology significantly reduces the material and manufacturing cost of WLAN products without sacrificing performance.

Intersil’s PRISM 3 Developer’s Kit is a complete and full-featured solution that will speed customer time to market by reducing the development time for new IEEE 802.11b-compliant, wirelessly enabled mobile devices such as laptops, palmtops and other appliances including web-pad-type Internet appliance devices.

The Global Wireless Market Embraces PRISM WLAN Technology
“Intersil is the number one manufacturer of wireless LAN chipsets and has been a driving force behind the success of WLANs,” said a May 2001 WLAN report from Cahners In-Stat Group. Since introducing the PRISM WLAN chip set in 1996, industry-leading companies including Accton, Actiontec, Alcatel, ASUSTeK, BroMax, Casio, Cisco, Compaq, 3Com, Dell, D-Link, GemTek, Hewlett Packard, IBM, Intel, Legend, Linksys, Nokia, Nortel, Panasonic, Quanta, Samsung, Sharp, Siemens, SOHOware, Sony, SpectraLink, Symbol, Z-Com and Zoom have incorporated PRISM chips in WLAN product designs. PRISM technology is designed to comply with the IEEE’s 802.11 global standard, and Intersil is a founding sponsor of the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance (WECA), whose Wi-Fi brand is a mark of compatibility for 802.11-based systems.

About BroMax
BroMax Communication, Inc., is a company highly focusing on design, development, manufacturing and marketing of outstanding quality Wireless networking and communication products. BroMax’s product family includes an extensive range of competitive wireless client products such as PCMCIA, PCI and Compact Flash cards, as well as USB and Ethernet adapters, and the most comprehensive wireless access point (AP) products, such as workgroup bridges, residential APs and integrated AP/Switches. Headquartered in Taiwan’s Silicon Valley, the Hsin-Chu Industrial Park, BroMax has dedicated itself to serve ODM/OEM businesses, and has built up a worldwide reputation of excellent products and good services. More information about BroMax is available at the company’s Web site www.bromax.com.tw About Intersil
Intersil is a global leader in designing innovative wireless networking and high performance analog solutions that enable wireless access to video, data and voice in homes, offices and public places. Creating advanced power management products, Intersil provides reliable solutions for file servers, portable information appliances and over half of all computer microprocessors manufactured today. With a rich high performance analog and mixed signal portfolio, Intersil brings added value in providing complete silicon, software and reference design solutions to new products that bring portable connectivity to people wherever they live, work or travel. Headquartered in Irvine, California, Intersil has offices in cities throughout the US, Europe and Asia. For more information about Intersil or to find out how to become a member of our winning team, visit the company's Web site and career page at www.intersil.com

This press release contains information relating to certain projections and business trends concerning the WLAN market that are forward-looking statements as defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements are based upon management’s current expectations, estimates, beliefs, assumptions, and projections about our business and industry. Words such as "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," "may," "will" and variations of these words or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. In addition, any statements that refer to expectations, projections or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. Furthermore, any forward-looking statements and projections made by others in this press release are not adopted by Intersil Corporation (“Intersil”) and Intersil is not responsible for the forward-looking statements and projections of others. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, our actual results could differ materially and adversely from those expressed in any forward-looking statements as a result of various risk factors. Important risk factors that may cause such material differences for Intersil in connection with WLAN market include, but are not limited to: the recent economic slowdown; the rate at which consumers adopt small handheld Internet appliances, and portable computing devices; the rate at which our present and future customers and end-users adopt Intersil’s wireless technologies and products, including our embedded LAN applications; the timing, rescheduling or cancellation of significant customer orders; the loss of a key customer; the qualification, availability and pricing of competing products and technologies and the resulting effects on sales and pricing of our products; silicon wafer pricing and the availability and quality of foundry and assembly capacity and raw materials; the effectiveness of Intersil’s expense and product cost control and reduction efforts; the risks inherent in acquisitions (including integration issues; costs and unanticipated expenditures; changing relationships with customers, suppliers, and strategic partners; potential contractual, employment, and intellectual property issues; risks of not securing regulatory approvals; accounting treatment and charges; and the risks that the acquisition cannot be completed successfully, or that the anticipated benefits of the acquisition are not realized); intellectual property disputes, customer indemnification claims, and other litigation risks; Intersil’s ability to develop, market, and transition to volume production new products and technologies in a timely manner, as well as other risk factors. Intersil’s recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K, and other Intersil filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) (which you may obtain for free at the SEC’s Web site at www.sec.gov) discuss some of the important risk factors that may affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition. These forward-looking statements are made only as of the date of this press release and Intersil undertakes no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements. PRISM is a registered trademark of Intersil Americas Inc.
FreePort is a trademark of BroMax Communications, Inc.
All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners.